


Fair Winds and Following Seas

by Commander Smith (doctor_b1993)



Category: JAG, NCIS
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-04
Updated: 2014-01-02
Packaged: 2017-11-26 08:34:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/648637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctor_b1993/pseuds/Commander%20Smith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The War on Terror had always seemed a long way away from the world of JAG Headquarters in Falls Church, but when al-Jihad seek retribution for the death of Sadik Fahd, killing Mac in the process, the shockwaves threaten to tear the team apart. With the new JAG soon to be appointed, tensions run high as Harm, Bud, Jen and Sturgis try to adjust to everything. The arrival of Commander Elizabeth Hawkes throws Harm for a loop before an unexpected announcement from the new JAG, Major General Biff Cresswell, will turn everything on its head once more...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: In the Nick of Time

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [A New Love](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2708603) by [Jeneral2885](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jeneral2885/pseuds/Jeneral2885). 



> _**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own JAG or NCIS or anything other than this plot and my OCs._  
>  _ **UPDATE:** 4 September 2013 - new prologue posted. Some details about canon and plot radically reworked. New first chapter on the way..._  
> Changes to Canon:  
> \- Jen Coates is Harm's half-sister who fell in with the wrong crowd before reconnecting with Harm  
> \- Diane Schonke and Sarah MacKenzie are sisters, maiden name O'Brien  
> \- Diane was not murdered, only badly wounded  
> \- Diane O'Brien married Lt. (j.g.) Steven Schonke, USCG & Sarah O'Brien married CWO2 Gary MacKenzie, USA  
> \- Tom Johnson died in a car accident shortly after the events of "A Merry Little Christmas" and Harm became Mattie's legal guardian  
> \- Elizabeth Hawkes is promoted to Lieutenant Commander in 2001  
> \- Naval Forces Europe is relocated from Grosvenor Square & NA United Kingdom to NSA Naples in Italy in 2003 rather than late 2005

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Harm's carrier quals clash with Mac and Diane's birthday celebrations, Harm does his best to make it back to D.C. in time, but when disaster strikes the Tomcat he is flying with Skates, will they both make it out alive?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of the dialogue from this chapter is taken directly from _Adrift (Part 2)_ , the first episode of series seven.

####  **24 AUGUST 2001**  
 **0144 HOURS ZULU**  
 **SOMEWHERE OVER THE ATLANTIC OCEAN**  
 **EN ROUTE TO ANDREWS AFB, CAMP SPRINGS, ST GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD.**

Harm had realised very early on that he would not be able to keep the F-14 Tomcat he was flying in the air once they had hit the mother-of-all-storm-cells, and that it had only been a matter of time until the plane failed completely and it was time to ditch. Nevertheless, now that it was actually time to eject themselves into the squall, Harm was terrified. The last time he had ejected had resulted in the death of RIO at the time and he couldn't bear to think about losing Skates, the one person who had stood by him through his whole time on the _Patrick Henry_ , his steadfast RIO who had ensured that Harm was on top of the Greenie Board and one of the best pilots in the squadron.

"Lock shoulder harness!" Beth said as the Tomcat spiralled towards the water, passing through 8000 feet. Together they continued to work through the pre-ejection checklist as the plane continued past 7000 feet. "Harm, I'm not a strong swimmer!" she added desperately.

"Just remember your survival training!" Harm reassured her, his own voice shaking slightly as he desperately tried to keep his own emotions in check. Hearing the fear in his voice would only intensify the fear his back-seater was currently feeling.

"Harm, we're passing six. Command ejection rear seat?"

"We're gonna get through this okay. I'll see you down there. You have my word on it Skates!" Harm said, continuing to try and reassure his friend.

"You haven't let me down yet!" Beth said, her voice regaining some of its steel.

Just seconds later the Tomcat's dive steepened. "I've lost her, Skates! Eject us now!" Harm said as the jet shot past 5000 feet.

"Position yourself! Good luck, Harm!" Beth called as she reached up and pulled the ejection handles. Beth's seat shuddered as the small rocket located on the base of her seat fired, pushing her clear of the now out of control jet. When Harm's seat failed to fire immediately, he had to reach down and pull the back-up ejection handle and he too left the plane mere seconds before it crashed into the Atlantic, several miles after Beth had first pulled the ejection handles.

####  **0512 HOURS ZULU**  
 **HEADQUARTERS, JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL'S CORPS**  
 **WEST FALLS CHURCH, CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VA.**

Everyone at JAG Heaquarters had been holding out for news, any news, since Mac had used her psychic powers to help find Harm, still missing after three hours. As the JAG himself, Rear Admiral A.J. Chegwidden walked out of his office, each and every person in attendance perked up, looking at the crusty old former SEAL intently. "Through what can only be described as the - uh - Grace of God, Commander Rabb _has_ been rescued." It was the sentence that everyone had been waiting to hear for several hours, and everyone sighed in relief. "However, I have been told that he is in the **fourth** stage of hypothermia."

"H-H-How bad is that, sir?" Yeoman First Class Jason Tiner stuttered out the question that everyone wanted to ask.

"Serious," the Admiral conceded.

"Will he make it?" Mac's "little sister" Chloe asked.

"Well he better!" Harm's girlfriend, Renee, sniffled. "We have Springsteen tickets!" This statement drew a wry chuckle from everyone present while Mac closed her eyes and tried desperately to communicate in some way with her brother in all but blood while her husband of five years, Army Captain Gary MacKenzie looked on anxiously.

####  **MEANWHILE**  
 **MEDICAL BAY - USS _PATRICK HENRY_**  
 **NORTH OF THE VIRGINIA CAPES OPERATING AREA, THE ATLANTIC OCEAN**

Lieutenant Commander Beth Hawkes, known as Skates, had been dozing lightly when the medical bay suddenly became alive with activity as several corpsmen carried a stretcher into the cramped area with Harm swathed in blankets, trying hard to get his temperature back up. "He's ice cold," she heard a corpsman say before the voice of the ship's chief medical officer confirmed her fears, "He's severely hypothermic. Get him out of these clothes!"

"Body temperature is 30 degrees Celsius," another corpsman reported, the sheer direness of the situation now dawning on Skates. The next few minutes were a flurry of activity, most of the medical mumbo jumbo passing straight over Skates' head, but she did recognise a call for atropine, a drug used to increase heart rate.

"Respiration is falling fast," one of the corpsmen said.

"Commander! COMMANDER! Come on! Stay with me!" The doctor shook Harm, trying to get him to wake up, but his attempts were for naught and the giant aviator remained unconscious. "I'm not getting through to him," he added, shaking his head sadly.

"Respiration is still falling fast," the corpsmen reported again.

"We're out of options then," the doctor replied, despairing that he was unable to help the aviator-turned-lawyer.

Not willing to give up on her pilot just yet, Beth painfully rose up onto her knees and called across the ward, drawing all attention towards her bed. "Can I try, doctor? He knows me," she reasoned, rising painfully and hobbling towards the bed even as the doctor nodded in agreement.

"Get him talking," he told her firmly, knowing that this was a gamble, but a gamble they had to take.

"Harm!" The injured RIO called out, just barely above a whisper as she shuffled awkwardly over to the bed on which Harm lay, motionless. "Harm!" she called again as a corpsman offered her hand for Beth to use as a support. Trying again, she leaned against the bed, taking Harm's cold hand into her own warmer one, "Harm!"

With still no response, she felt the desperation clawing at her throat, and something else which she had kept hidden ever since they served together on the _Henry_. She felt tears welling up in her eyes as she pleaded with this man, this man who was so important to her to wake up, but she refused to let those tears fall. "Harm! It's cold down here, and I need you. I can't do it by myself," she whispered, pressing his hand against her chest in the hope that he would feel her warmth, and her heart beat. "Help me, Harm, come on, you promised," she told him, leaning down so her face was right above his, trying to make him think she was drowning, hoping and praying that his deep-seeded need to protect those he held nearest and dearest would wake him from his sleep. "You promised you'd be there, and I'm holding you to that!" She couldn't stop the tears from finally clogging in her throat as she swallowed and added, "You know I don't swim well!"

The doctor looked at the instruments, worry evident as he silently pressed Beth to try harder, "The temperature's still dropping."

Part of Beth wanted to turn away, unwilling to watch him just drift away and die, but another voice in her head encouraged her to keep trying, to never give up. "Commander! Can you hear me?!" she yelled, hoping his sense of military bearing might bring him out of it.

"He's bradycardic," another corpsman informed them as the pulse meter showed his heart rate dropping to just 30.

Suddenly, a desperate idea hit Beth head on and she pointed at Harm's oxygen mask. "Take that thing off. Take it off!" she said painfully.

One of the nurses looked to the doctor, and only when he shrugged helplessly did she remove the mask before stepping back to give Beth room.

Knowing that what she was about to do could well land her in a court-martial, or at the very least make her the butt of jokes within the squadron, she leaned down over his chest, her weight supported across his chest as she just barely held her composure. Slowly and deliberately, she rubbed her cheek across his and raised her hip to rest their chins together, lower lips touching. As the doctor and corpsmen looked on, unsure whether they should intervene in what they were seeing or to leave it be, Beth spoke again, little more than breathing into his half-open mouth as she whispered, "Save me!"

Seconds passed with no result and Beth had to choke back another sob before slowly, almost as if Beth had indeed breathed life back into him, his eyes fluttered and the medical bay let out a collective sigh of relief as Harm exhaled shudderingly. "I'm..." Harm started to mumble unintelligibly as the medical personnel just gaped in shock at what they were seeing. Beth's composure finally snapped and tears started running down her cheeks as Harm tried again, "I'm try-ing."

"Pulse rate's up," one of the corpsmen said, her voice betraying her shock at the miracle she had just witnessed. The patient's temperature had dropped below 30 degrees, and only a miracle could have saved him, a miracle that apparently came in the form of a petite Latina flight officer.

"Don't let go," Beth whispered, still resting on his chest. "Don't let go!" she repeated as she watched Harm's eyes open, his unfocused aquamarine orbs the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

"Hi," Harm said awkwardly.

"Hi yourself," Beth replied, a tearful grin adorning her face as she nodded in recognition. "Keep talking to me," she added, not willing to let him slip back into his coma.

"I. Can't. Breathe." He could only manage one syllable at a time, and his exhaustion was obvious, but he got his point across.

"Oh!" Beth's eyes widened in surprise and she blushed in embarrassment. How could she have forgotten she was practically lying on him? "Uh, I'm sorry," she said, getting up with difficulty as a corpsman squeezed her hand in congratulations.

Harm turned his head, keeping his barely open eyes on her as he spoke hoarsely, asking a question that had nagged him since seeing her battered, but still lovely, face hovering over his, "Have we dated?"

Unable to say anything, Beth just laughed shakily as relief filled her body at seeing him alive again and on the road to recovery.

"Oxygen," the doctor ordered, his eyes wordlessly telling his subordinates that this was to remain private, that the miracle she had performed would prevent any court-martial against the RIO.

As the oxygen mask was placed back over Harm's nose and mouth, Beth extended her hand to caress his cool cheek. Tears rolled down her face as she whispered, "You're gonna be okay," nodding encouragingly as she did so.

####  **TWO WEEKS LATER**  
 **1918 HOURS ZULU**  
 **NATIONAL NAVAL MEDICAL CENTER**  
 **BETHESDA, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD.**

Harm was starting to feel anxious to get back to active duty and had already started to hobble painfully around the hospital, leaning heavily on the cane he had been provided. He was on his way back to his room after an all too brief sojourn in the cafeteria for lunch when he heard a familiar voice behind him call out, "Commander!"

"Hey!" Harm replied as he slowly turned towards her voice, smiling as he saw her looking resplendent, if a bit battered still, in her crisp summer whites. "Wow, you're looking good, Skates!"

"Back atcha, sir!" Beth replied with a grin, noticing that he too had started to recover, the last vestiges of his bruises also fading away.

Harm's smile disappeared however, when he noticed Beth's companion, AIRLANT LSO Stacy Loftness. "Commander Loftness," he greeted gravely.

"Rabb," the Viking pilot nodded stiffly.

"Commander, I understand that you personally violated every safety minimum in the book while you were searching for us." Harm's voice was stern, but both Beth and Loftness heard the gratitude that underpinned his words.

"Love flying at zero/zero," Loftness replied, completely unabashed by the seeming reprimand in Harm's voice.

Harm relaxed, letting his gratitude show on his face as he said, "We owe you our lives," barely noticing as Beth nodded in agreement.

"Turns out the aircraft we gave you had a hard deck landing," Loftness explained. "Subsequent inspection uncovered no damage, looks like she was hiding her secrets from us. You ever wanna come back for a visit I'll find you a Tomcat that works."

"Well, how about today? I'm checking out of here in two hours," Harm asked, while Beth stifled a chuckle. Harm's reply was not unexpected to someone who knew him as well as his RIO, but the look she threw him contained a fair measure of exasperation as well as a mixture of wry amusement and pride in his spirit.

"We're in port," Loftness declined with a shake of his head.

"Damn," Harm replied, but the smile on his face showed he wasn't truly disappointed, having expected as much.

"Good luck," Commander Loftness said, offering a hand to Harm.

"That's it?" the injured Tomcat pilot-lawyer asked as he took the offered hand.

A simple, "yup," was Loftness' only response before turning and walking away, leaving Harm and Beth alone.

Harm watched the other O-5 walk away and shook his head in disbelief before he gestured to Beth with his head and, slowly, due to the cane, Harm turned to resume his previous walk. "So... I uh... I understand you jumped my bones in sickbay," he said teasingly, his head turned towards her as he completed the turn.

Beth returned him a stunned look, as her face paled, then seeing the imp of mischief in his laughing eyes, and realising that she couldn't hope to deny what had happened, in the face of the combined probable testimony of doctors, nurses and corpsmen, she could only put on a brazen face and brave it out. She grinned cheekily up at him and replied, "Rumour."

"Oh yeah?" Harm asked. "Well that was a hell of a ride we took!" he added, sighing slightly before continuing, "At least you went out with a bang."

"I'm returning to the Fleet, Harm," Beth said suddenly after a few moments silence.

After the way Beth had previously confessed her fears to him and now especially after her recent ordeal Harm was not just surprised, he was almost stunned, "What happened to the idea of shore duty?"

"The experience actually re-awakened my love for ship-board flying. Made me realize the danger is one of the reasons I do it." 

"Well... what's your fiancé have to say about this?" Harm asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He supports me," Beth said with a soft smile. "I guess that's why he's my fiancé. What about you?"

"Well, I'm almost back to normal," he said with a shrug.

"H'mm, you think so?" it was her turn for surprise. How could he be so soon recovered after having so nearly died such a short time ago?

"Well, I certainly have recovered, at least to the satisfaction of the doctors."

"Life doesn't feel any different to you?" Beth pressed, wondering if his second near-death experience had changed him as much as it had changed her.

"What do you mean?" Harm asked, confusion clear on his face.

"Well, you've been given another opportunity to look at things, to grab hold of what is really important to you," Beth clarified.

"You think I haven't already done that?" Harm asked incredulously, even as he asked himself why he was still with Renee.

"I hadn't," Beth said simply before walking ahead, leaving Harm to ponder this as he followed his RIO back to his private hospital room.


	2. Terrorist's Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **REWRITTEN:** The Admiral has retired and JAG is about to enter a new era. An explosion at JAG Headquarters throws everything into chaos and causes the death of one of their own. Stuck in the middle, Harm, Bud and Sturgis need to lead by example, stand up and be the backbone of a thoroughly rattled JAG Corps...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **UPDATE:** 3 January 2014 - Slight changes to Chapter 1 to better fit a combined JAG Series 9/10 and NCIS Series 1/2 continuity.  
>  **UPDATE:** 24 January 2014 - Times updated to fit the Zulu time specified rather than the Local time they more closely reflected  
>  **UPDATE:** 17 December 2014 - Chapter reworked again to fix references to Mac's relationships within this altered continuity

####  **21 MAY 2004**  
 **0444 HOURS ZULU**  
 **HEADQUARTERS, JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL'S CORPS**  
 **WEST FALLS CHURCH, CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VA.**

Just after midnight, the lane leading to the Headquarters of the Judge Advocate General's Corps was normally dead silent, but not tonight as a blue Lexus SUV pulled up outside the security gate barely an hour after the dining-out of the retiring Judge Advocate General, Rear Admiral A.J. Chegwidden had petered out to a quiet end after the Admiral simply slipped away secretly in a melodramatic end to his career. "I'm really sorry, guys," Harm said, apologising profusely to his half-sister and ward. "I just need to pick up some case files from my office. I promised Mac I'd have them ready for court on Monday and I haven't had a chance to yet. I'll just be a few minutes." he added before jogging off across the compound.

* * *

After signing in with the Marine Sergeant of the Guard, Harm arrived on the second floor of the building and stepped out of the elevator and walked into the silent bullpen, surprised when he found the light in his partner's office on. His reason for being there momentarily forgotten, Harm walked over and knocked lightly on the doorjamb of Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie's office. "Hey there, marine," he greeted.

"Oh, hey sailor," Mac replied, trying to hide the fact that she had been surprised by Harm's sudden appearance outside her office. "What are you doing in here at this hour?"

"I could ask you the same thing!" Harm countered, before relenting at Mac's quirked eyebrow. "I just need to pick up some case files, nothing special."

"You forgot to prepare those files for Monday, didn't you!" Mac accused knowingly. "And you mock my filing system!" she added, gesturing to the haphazard piles of manila files dotted around the marine lawyer's office. "As for why I'm here, I've fallen a bit behind these last few weeks and I'm trying to catch up before they name the new boss."

"You should've said! I could have helped out," Harm exclaimed. "But you're right, I did forget those files. Everything's been a bit up in the air since the Admiral announced his retirement. Anyway, I've gotta run. I've got Mattie and Jen waiting out in the car for me and I promised I'd only be a few minutes. Good luck with your work, Mac."

"Thanks, Harm. I'll see you on Monday," Mac nodded her acquiescence.

"See you," Harm agreed and the partners shared a small smile.

* * *

After signing back out at the guard house, Harm spared one last look up at JAG Headquarters before turning to head back towards the Lexus. Before he could move more than a metre, the upper floor of the Edwardian building was ripped apart by a massive explosion that sent him diving for cover.

"Jen! Mattie!" Harm called from his spot on the ground, his instincts for his family dulling the pain of the cuts and grazes from small debris and a hard landing on the tarmac of the road.

"We're alright, Harm!" He breathed a sigh of relief as he heard his half-sister's call, and he wobbled to his feet to find the windows of his Lexus blown inwards on the driver's side, and while they both sported some cuts, neither Jen nor Mattie looked any worse for wear. Looking back up at Headquarters, he despaired as it became clear that the epicentre of the explosion had been right where Mac's office had once been.

####  **0632 HOURS ZULU**  
 **SPECIAL AGENT L. JETHRO GIBBS' RESIDENCE**  
 **HILLCREST HEIGHTS, PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD.**

"Yo, boss? Are you awake?" NCIS Special Agent Tony DiNozzo pushing open the always unlocked door and smirking as he saw the light filtering across the hall from his boss' basement.

His smile cracked even wider when he heard the response, "What do YOU think, DiNozzo? And what are you doing in my front hall at zero-two-thirty-four?"

"Bomb at JAG Headquarters in Falls Church, it was just before oh-one-hundred but there was still fourteen people in the building at the time and a further three people outside in the grounds," DiNozzo explained as he reached the top of the stairs down into Gibbs' basement workshop.

"JAG Headquarters?" Gibbs asked, waiting for DiNozzo's nod of reply. "Get Ducky to meet us there, have you called Kate and McGee yet?" Gibbs asked as he grabbed his jacket, badge and weapon from the bench and made his way up the stairs toward his team's senior Field Agent.

"Ducky and Palmer are already en route in the ME's van, we've got the truck out the front, Kate and McGee are waiting for us," DiNozzo replied quickly, grinning behind Gibbs' back as he managed to get one-up on his boss for once.

"Wipe that smirk off your face, DiNozzo," Gibbs told the Italian-American as they headed out towards the truck.

"Yes, boss!" DiNozzo replied, shaking his head at the former marine scout sniper's ability to read his team so well.

####  **0658 HOURS ZULU**  
 **HEADQUARTERS, JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL'S CORPS**  
 **WEST FALLS CHURCH, CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VA.**

Harm sat on the rear bumper of his SUV, watching as the ruins of JAG Headquarters, his workplace for the better part of eight years, continued to smoulder. He vaguely noticed Jen and Mattie were sitting behind him, but his mind had scarcely acknowledged the arrival of a dark blue Navy staff sedan which had pulled up beside his car. "Commander Rabb, how are you?" a familiar husky voice asked.

Harm barely suppressed a groan. He still hadn't forgiven Rear Admiral (lower half) Allison Krennick for the sexual harassment and hazing that the older woman had put him through. As much as she was the last person he wanted to see, the rational side of him told him that, if Krennick was here as the JAG representative, he would need to work with her. "Cuts and grazes mostly, ma'am. This is my half-sister, Legalman One Jen Coates, and my daughter, Mattie Grace Rabb. I thought you were in Hawaii, ma'am? Force JAG for Pac Fleet?" he asked, curious as to why she had come to D.C.

"Got the call last week from SECNAV Sheffield. Acting JAG until Congress confirms a successor for A.J. Chegwidden," Krennick explained. "We've got more pressing matters to worry about right now. As of this moment we have nine JAG staff, including Colonel MacKenzie, missing presumed dead and we do not have an active Headquarters. Now, without a Headquarters of our own, SECNAV has given us the use of another Navy-owned building in Lake Barcroft. Keep your cell on, Commander, I'm going to need to yourself and the other senior staff soon."

"Aye, ma'am!" Harm agreed, bracing himself as Krennick walked away. Harm barely had time to relax when the NCIS Major Case Response Team's truck pulled up in front of the wrecked building and the navy investigators sprang into action.

"DiNozzo! What do we know?" Gibbs barked authoritatively as he pulled on his NCIS cap and jacket.

"Not much, boss," DiNozzo admitted as he flicked through his PDA. "It seems that our old friend Commander Rabb was the last person in or out of the building before the explosion. According to witnesses, there was a large explosion on the upper floor of the building at approximately 0450 hours, Zulu. At the time of the blast, there were sixteen people inside, as well as four outside in the grounds including Rabb and the sergeant of the guard. According to EMTs we have seven confirmed dead, with six bodies identified and one more likely ID. The explosion originated from the office of Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie and a body was found in close proximity to the epicentre, believed to be the colonel."

"Any news on who may be behind the explosion?" Gibbs asked, looking from DiNozzo across to Special Agents Kate Todd and Timothy McGee.

"Not yet, boss," McGee shook his head ruefully.

Gibbs nodded. McGee was green, this was his first case since joining Gibbs' team full-time, but the kid had already shown good instincts. "Right then, get to work! DiNozzo, sketch and shoot. McGee, trace evidence, bag and tag. Kate, you talked to Legalman Coates and her friend. I'm going to talk to Rabb," the grizzled older agent ordered, sipping his ever present coffee as he walked away, leaving a silent team in his wake.

Locating Rabb nearby, the Supervisory Special Agent got straight down to business. "Commander, I need to ask you a few questions," he said.

Harm had a grudging respect for the man who had arrested him for murder, only to help acquit him in the face of a prosecution that had been rushed in hopes of avoiding any appearances of impropriety. "Gibbs, what do you need to know?" he asked.

"Well, to start with, can you tell me why you were here at 0100? I understand that Admiral Chegwidden had his retirement last night at Annapolis?" Gibbs asked, his voice not accusatory, but curious.

"I had promised Mac, Colonel MacKenzie that I would have several case files ready for court by staff call on Monday, but I forgot about them after all the drama with the Admiral retiring. Normally I would've just come in tomorrow to fix it up, but it's Jen, my half-sister's birthday tomorrow, so I can't come in because we were all going to go to Leesburg tomorrow and take my Stearman up, maybe give my daughter, Mattie, her first flying lesson. Guess all my plans'll have to change now," Harm said, shaking his head with a frustrated sigh.

"Tell me about it," Gibbs sighed. "I had plans of my own that just went south. But enough about that. Do you have any idea who might be behind this attack? Anyone who might have a grudge?" he asked, jotting something down on his notepad.

"Well we are lawyers here, lots of people tend to have a grudge," Harm replied wryly. "I guess that, since the bomb seems to have been in Mac's office, I wonder whether the attack might be retaliation for her killing Sadik Fahd about three months ago."

"Sadik Fahd? The al-Jihad mercenary?" Gibbs repeated, looking for confirmation.

"That's the one," Harm nodded in agreement.

Gibbs nodded his head thoughtfully and jotted a note to himself. "I'll certainly have my people take a look into that then, Commander. I'd like copies of all Mac's case files too," he told the O-5 officer as he flicked his notebook.

Harm winced. "Mac was Chief of Staff, but as senior officer on the staff I'll get them to you as soon as we can," Harm replied. "She had a tendency to keep most of her files in her office though so I might have to pull all her online copies which there is no guarantee that she's kept up-to-date," he added apologetically. Mac had never been one for organisation, preferring to keep her home and office in a permanent state of chaos.

"Anything you can give us, Commander, would be greatly appreciated," Gibbs told him with an internal sigh.

"I'll do what I can, gunny," Harm replied, nodding to Gibbs before the federal agent turned to head towards the crime scene. "Oh and gunny? When you find the guy who did this? Make the bastard pay!" he called out to the retreating back.

"Count on it, Commander!" Gibbs called without looking back.

####  **1000 HOURS ZULU**  
 **TRIPPS RUN HOUSE – TEMPORARY HEADQUARTERS, JUDGE ADVOCATE GENERAL'S CORPS**  
 **LAKE BARCROFT, CITY OF FALLS CHURCH, VA.**

"Commanders Rabb, Turner and Roberts to see you, ma'am!" Legalman First Class Jennifer Coates reported after opening the door into the temporary office of the Acting Judge Advocate General of the Navy. Having been found by NAVFAC on short notice, the building was barely furnished, despite having been owned by the Navy for several years, and so the only furniture in the room was a very simple desk.

"Send them in, Legalman One," Admiral Krennick replied as she leaned back in her seat and ran her hands down the length of her face in a vain attempt to wipe the stress away.

"Commanders Rabb, Turner and Roberts reporting as ordered, ma'am!" Harm barked as he adopted the role of the senior-most officer of the three after he, Commander Peter Ulysses "Sturgis" Turner and Lieutenant Commander Bud Roberts Jr. had entered.

"At ease!" Krennick said quickly. "I would ask you to sit, but unfortunately NAVFAC haven't had time to furnish this yet. Also, without a SCIF I need your word that none of this will leave this office," she added solemnly, waiting for their nods of agreement before continuing. "As you are all by now no doubt aware, the JAG Headquarters building was bombed last night at approximately zero-zero-forty-five hours local. At present, six members of the JAG staff have been confirmed as dead, while Colonel MacKenzie is believed to be the seventh fatality pending an AFDIL DNA or dental match. A further nine members of staff are undergoing various degrees of treatment at Bethesda."

"Ma'am has someone told Mac's twin sister and her husband?" Harm asked, leaning forward in his seat.

"Lieutenant Commander Schonke and Chief MacKenzie are being notified by CACO as we speak, and they will be the first to receive confirmation from the NCIS ME," Krennick informed Harm before addressing all three officers. "Now, while I am sure that you would all like to investigate this travesty, I cannot in good conscience allow anyone from this office to investigate. Instead, NCIS have full jurisdiction and, when it comes time for this to go to court-martial, if the perpetrator is indeed in the military, then I will be calling in a team of attorneys from the West Coast. In the interim, Commander Coleman, the SJA at SECNAV's office will be TAD to Headquarters until Mac's permanent replacement can be selected and all active trials will be given a continuance until after Mac's funeral. This should give us time to reassign all of Mac's cases to other lawyers, and I expect you three, as my senior attorneys, to shoulder much of the load. Is that clear?" She regarded each officer sternly, her eyes lingering on Harm for just a moment.

"Yes, admiral," the three officers chorused.

"Very good," Krennick nodded. "I know this is a trying time and it will take us a long time to bounce back from this, but I need you three to back me, and whoever is appointed full-time JAG, completely. In light of events, I think everyone should take Monday off as well, but I expect to see you all for staff call here on Tuesday. That should give NAVFAC some time to find us some damn furniture. Dismissed."

"Aye aye ma'am!" The three attorneys nodded as they snapped to attention before leaving the office as a group.

####  **2234 HOURS ZULU**  
 **COMMANDER HARMON J. RABB'S RESIDENCE**  
 **NEAR NORTHEAST, WASHINGTON, D.C.**

Harm, Jen and Mattie had spent most of the day sitting fairly aimlessly, randomly chatting about memories of Mac, but for the most part, everything was silent. Finally tired of the long periods of silence, Harm stood from the couch and crossed his apartment to his bedroom and picked up his guitar. He started strumming a melancholy tune that was one of Jen's favourite songs, and as it had turned out, of Mattie also. He smiled softly as Jen and Mattie started to sing together, their voices harmonising perfectly.

_"Oh, why you look so sad?_  
 _Tears are in your eyes_  
 _Come on and come to me now_  
 _Don't be ashamed to cry,"_

As Jen and Mattie sang, Harm unwittingly replayed many of his memories of Mac, from when he first met her in the Rose Garden and learnt she was Diane's identical twin sister right up until he had told her at A.J. Chegwidden's dining out that she had been diagnosed with endometriosis. How he had provided her a friendly shoulder to cry on as she vented her frustrations and disappointment that she could not provide her husband of twelve years, Army CID Special Agent Gary MacKenzie, with a second child.

_"Let me see you through_  
 _'Cause I've seen the dark side too_  
 _When the night falls on you_  
 _You don't know what to do_  
 _Nothing you confess_  
 _Could make me love you less,"_

Harm thought back over all the times that Mac had confessed things about her past to him, and how rather inevitably they had resulted in problems, either with the law, or between them, and yet invariably, he had let Mac back in to his good books again and again.

_"I'll stand by you_  
 _I'll stand by you_  
 _Won't let nobody hurt you_  
 _I'll stand by you,"_

The poignant words of the song brought forth a memory of their eventful trip to Russia, tracing Harm's father, long thought to be one of the many MIAs who died in Vietnam, but thanks to Mac and Harm it was proven that Harm Sr. had been taken first to Moscow to be questioned by the Soviet Air Force and the KGB, then to a prison camp at Beloyka before he escaped and found a new life and love with a gypsy woman in Svischevo, at least until he had been killed protecting the woman from Russian soldiers and buried somewhere deep within the boreal forests of the taiga.

_"So if you're mad, get mad_  
 _Don't hold it all inside_  
 _Come on and talk to me now_  
 _Hey, what you got to hide?"_

Harm slipped easily into memories of how Mac would hold so many problems inside, just like he could, and often would. He remembered the problems caused by Mac's brief affair with Lt. Col. John Farrow and her secret husband, what's-his-name Ragle, both of which had come before her marriage to Ian, and how it had all come to ahead when Mac ended up shooting Ragle in self-defense. Through it all, Harm and Ian Gary provided support to the marine who had made mistakes in her life.

_"I get angry too_  
 _Well I'm a lot like you_  
 _When you're standing at the crossroads_  
 _And don't know which path to choose_  
 _Let me come along_  
 _'Cause even if you're wrong,"_

Harm's next memory was the verbal battles the pair had had sparring over their two favourite arguments, Harm's aviation career and Royal Australian Navy Lieutenant Commander Mic Brumby. Harm had tried to convince Mac to report the burly Australian for sexual harassment, especially his antics on Bondi Beach when the JAG team had headed "Down Under" for the trial of Petty Officer Kevin Lees. Despite this, though, Mac remained firm in her belief that such an action would be letting the Australian officer get to her. _Mac was like that_ , he thought wryly before being caught up in the words of the song once more.

_"I'll stand by you_  
 _I'll stand by you_  
 _Won't let nobody hurt you_  
 _I'll stand by you_  
 _Take me in, into your darkest hour_  
 _And I'll never desert you_  
 _I'll stand by you,"_

His memory finally turned to all the good times he and Mac had had, and all the times in recent years that he and Mac had been able to put their animosity over both aviation and Mic Brumby aside in order to help each other through their problems. Memories of the first military tribunal since World War II gave way to ones of the ill-fated trip to Paraguay that he and Gary had taken when Mac was forced undercover as CIA Special Agent Clayton Webb's wife and the resulting encounters with Sadik Fahd which in turn gave way to the memory of their decidely epic adventure in Afghanistan to defeat the feared terrorist Kabir Atef.

_"And when..._  
 _When the night falls on you, baby_  
 _You're feeling all alone_  
 _You won't be on your own,"_

When he turned to look at his daughter, seeing her with red eyes and tear-stained cheeks, he started singing along with the girls in his life, turning the song towards trying to comfort his best girl, the reason he had found to start to settle down, consider a life after the Navy.

_"I'll stand by you_  
 _I'll stand by you_  
 _Won't let nobody hurt you,"_

Harm remembered how he had met Mattie, working for her after he had been fired from the Company, something which Admiral Chegwidden had since informed him had been a stunt to allow him to return to the Navy. Mattie had been his boss, but during that most carefree time of his life he had already come to view her as a close friend despite the differences in age, and when he saw how desperately Mattie clung to the first person to show care for her since her mother had died, he had decided that he was going to be that girl's pillar of strength, someone she could depend on to stand by her...

_"I'll stand by you_  
 _Take me in, into your darkest hour_  
 _And I'll never desert you_  
 _I'll stand by you_  
 _I'll stand by you_  
 _Won't let nobody hurt you_  
 _I'll stand by you_  
 _Won't let nobody hurt you_  
 _I'll stand by you!"_

As he finished the song, Mattie stood up and moved to stand beside Harm as he dropped the guitar, holding it only by the neck as it drooped by his side. "Reduce altitude, sailor!" Mattie said with a teary smile. Harm obligingly bent his knees and lowered his head to a level that Mattie could reach, which she did so, kissing him on the cheek before wrapping him up in a hug, joined by Jen. The tear-filled group hug was only interrupted when there was a knock on the apartment door.


	3. The Tragedies of War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **NEW CHAPTER:** Still grieving the loss of his closest friends and several more of his colleagues, Harm receives a visit from another old friend who has received some bad news of her own. Meanwhile, the NCIS team search for clues in their fight to bring the Falls Church bomber to justice...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **UPDATE:** 3 January 2014 - Mac's husband is returned to this chapter after I realised a future chapter revolves somewhat around the fact that Mac was married.  
>  **UPDATE:** 24 December 2014 - Chapter rewritten slightly

####  **FROM THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER...**

_Mattie stood up and moved to stand beside Harm as he dropped the guitar, holding it only by the neck as it drooped by his side. "Reduce altitude, sailor!" Mattie said with a teary smile. Harm obligingly bent his knees and lowered his head to a level that Mattie could reach, which she did so, kissing him on the cheek before wrapping him up in a hug, joined by Jen. The tear-filled group hug was only interrupted when there was a knock on the apartment door._

####  **21 MAY 2004**  
 **2240 HOURS ZULU**  
 **COMMANDER HARMON J. RABB'S RESIDENCE**  
 **NEAR NORTHEAST, WASHINGTON, D.C.**

At first, the occupants of the apartment were too caught up in their hug and it was only when the person on the other side knocked for a second time, this time more insistently, that Harm's attention was drawn to the door. "Just a minute!" he had to call out as he tried to untangle himself from the group hug. Pulling back the deadbolt and pulling open the door, the sight of his former RIO Elizabeth "Skates" Hawkes elated him, at least until he recognised that she was crying and his heart broke at the terrible sight. "Skates..." was all he managed to say before the petite Latina girl erupted into full-blown sobs, diving through the doorway and into Harm's embrace, burying her face into his shoulder as her whole body shook. "What's wrong?" he asked softly.

The distraught woman didn't respond to Harm's concerned enquiry, instead keeping her head buried in Harm's shoulder for several minutes as her body continued to be wracked by sobs. It took several more minutes, but Skates' sobs finally subsided and she stepped back to arm's length and pulled a handkerchief from her pocket. As he watched Skates blow her nose noisily, he became vaguely aware of a damp patch on his Naval Academy t-shirt. Skates noticed it too and sniffled slightly before apologising profusely, "I'm sorry, Harm! You've got my snot all over your shirt... I'm sorry!"

"It's fine, Skates," Harm replied, pulling her back into a one-armed hug. "You wanna tell me what's wrong?"

"It's Mark... my fiancé," Skates sniffed, dabbing at her eyes with her handkerchief. "I got back from deployment in Iraq a couple of months ago and my squadron got put on a three month stand-down so I've been spending time in Florida, visiting my parents, my nephew just graduated from Pensacola so I was there to see him get his wings. Mark was due back from Iraq in a few days so I decided to spend the last fortnight at our Georgetown apartment before I have to head back to Oceana. I'd just got in, you know the drill, hopped out of the shower and I heard a knock on the door and when I answered it..." Skates' voice cracked as a new round of sobbing broke out and she buried her head in Harm's shoulder once more, allowing Harm to reflexively wrap her in his embrace again and guide her to the couch until she could regain her composure. "... when I answered it, CACO waiting for me," she cried, the tears flowing freely.

Harm and Jen shared a look of sympathy, already knowing what was coming. "Skates, I'm soooo sorry," Harm said softly. Mattie, meanwhile, look confused, having not yet spent enough time around the Navy to know that the presence of a CACO, a Casualty Assistance Calls Officer, meant just one thing... that someone close to her had been killed in service.

"Mark was killed yesterday near Basra," the tearful RIO explained.

Even though he knew what was coming, Harm couldn't help the feeling of shock that came from hearing Skates' admission. "I though you said that Mark worked in SECNAV's office?" he asked, still reeling from the news, even though he had only met the man in passing before the CAP over the Super Bowl.

Skates nodded, tears still rolling down her cheek, unconsciously snuggling deeper into Harm's one-armed embrace. "Well he was one of SECNAV's aides, but he was also a reservist. Marine Corps," Skates explained. "He was called up for a deployment over in Iraq with his old Force Recon unit. It was his last patrol before he was due to come home. CACO said he stepped on an IED..." That was as far as Skates got before her body was wracked with sobs again. Once she calmed down once more, she again apologised profusely only to be waved off. "Harm would you mind if we talk about other things, introduce me to your friends, catch up a bit, anything to take my mind off... things."

"Uh... sure," Harm said not looking entirely convinced, but trusting his Girl in Back implicitly, he pushed on, "Beth, this is Jennifer Coates, my half-sister, and Matilda Grace Rabb, my daughter. Jen, Mattie, this is Elizabeth Hawkes."

"Mattie." "Jen." "Beth." The three women all shook hands and introduced each other by their preferred names, all shooting evil glares at Harm at not using their preferred diminutives in his introductions.

Shying away from the triple glare, Harm finally noticed that Skates was in her Service Dress Blues and his eyes were drawn to a couple of key developments: The first of which, was the presence of both Naval Aviator and Naval Flight Officer gold wings; the second was the red, white and blue ribbon of the Distinguished Flying Cross bearing a Combat "V" device and a single gold 5/16 inch star; and the third and final development being the three gold bars below a five-pointed star which made up her sleeve lace. "So when did all this happen?" Harm asked, gesturing to the medals and insignia and her sleeve lace. "Last I saw you you hadn't long made Lieutenant Commander."

"It has been three years, Harm!" Skates reminded him. "And feel free to call me Beth, we aren't in the same squadron... unless you'd rather I call you... Pappy?" she asked, grinning evilly.

"Okay, okay, Beth it is!" Harm assured her, holding his hands up in surrender. "Care to tell me when you became a pilot? And since when did you earn two DFCs? And when were you promoted?" he asked, rapid-fire.

Beth seemed taken aback by the speed of his questions for a moment. "Power down, Harm," she chided him lightly. "Hows about I answer your questions one at a time?" she suggested, continuing on without giving him a chance to interject. "I joined the Jaguars about two months after we went for our swim and I cross-trained as a wizzo ( **A/N:** Weapons System Officer, WSO) in the F-model Super Hornet. Around the time that we flew that CAP for the Super Bowl, I was offered the opportunity to qualify as a pilot as well. I'm now qualified front-seat in both the E- and F-models of the Super Hornet as well as back-seat in both the Tomcat and the F-model, which is what my squadron flies. As for the promotion, about four months ago I was told that I'd been deep-selected for below-the-zone promotion to full commander and XO of the Jaguars, and here I am!"

"What about the DFCs?" Harm asked impatiently.

"Give a girl a chance to take a breath, Harm," Beth told him, shaking her head fondly. It was abundantly clear to anyone who knew Harm well that he desperately missed the rush, the thrill of shipboard flying and he seemed to be holding out for battle stories that he could live through vicariously. "The first DFC came from an incident about a week after I went out on my first deployment as a front-seater. I was flying off the 'Benjamin Harrison' into the soup in Iraq. I was on a CAP in the no-fly zone when my wingman took a bit of flak from an AA battery and lost an engine. Rather than leave them to the tender mercies of the Iraqis, I kept them in the air by using their tailhook to push them out of Indian Country," she explained with a significant look towards Harm.

"You pushed him using a tailhook?" Mattie gasped, looking at this woman that she had only just met with nothing short of admiration. Harm chuckled to himself, it seemed that Mattie had just latched onto another female role model.

"It was no biggie," Beth said with a shrug. "I only thought of it 'cause I remembered you doing it. After all, only an aviator like Harm could come up with such a crazy idea," she told Mattie with a grin.

"Says you!" Harm shot back fondly. "Okay, so that's one DFC, but what about the one with the 'Combat V'?" he prompted.

"Oh, I got that one for... kinda dive-bombing an Iraqi position to give a team of Navy SEALs cover..." Beth said modestly and trailing off.

Mattie's eyes widened after hearing that admission and Harm suspected that her respect and admiration for his former back-seater had just grown exponentially. "Can I hear some of your flying stories?" the red-headed teen asked excitedly, her mind whirling as she imagined what she could learn about the military and flying jets from listening to two combat experienced and decorated fighter pilots.

"Yes, you can, Matts," Harm told her before adding, "but not right now. Who wants some coffee?" he asked to the room at large with his flyboy grin. Before any of the women could answer though, Harm's cell phone chirped from where it sat on the breakfast bar. After a few minutes of conversation, Harm's grin faded away and as the person on the other end hung up, his arm drooped and the phone crashed to the floor as the memories of last night came flooding back. "That was Special Agent Gibbs," he told them, his lip trembling. "The ME at NCIS just identified the bodies from the bombing. Dental records confirm Mac as one of the victims."

Jen deflated instantly and tears dripped slowly from Mattie's eyes, but it was Harm who took the news hardest. Ever since he had seen the bomb ripping apart the top floor of JAG Headquarters, Harm had been holding it together as best he could for the sake of his family, but the confirmation that Mac was dead ripped his composure to shreds. Tears sprung from his eyes and he slumped to the ground, leaning back against the kitchen island as he realised that his best friend, and almost sister was now lying on a slab at NCIS. At first, no-one moved and Harm was left sobbing on the floor alone until Beth stood from the couch and slowly walked over to wrap Harm in a comforting hug. This broke the ice and, shortly afterwards, both Jen and Mattie were on the floor in an awkward crouching/sitting group hug.

####  **2257 HOURS ZULU**  
 **HEADQUARTERS, NAVAL CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIVE SERVICE**  
 **THE NAVY YARD, WASHINGTON, D.C.**

While Beth and the Rabb family mourned their respective losses, the NCIS Major Case Response Team led by Supervisory Special Agent L. Jethro Gibbs were hard at work looking for the perpetrator of the bombing. Gibbs paced back and forth in the middle of the bullpen, watching as his three team members typed away at their computers rapidly.  "What do we got?" he asked suddenly, without warning, but like he had trained them, his team was already armed with information and ready for this demand.

McGee was the first one on his feet, snatching up the 'clicker' that controlled the plasma screen. "Seven fatalities," McGee started, clicking a button on the small controller. "Two officers, the senior one is Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie, USMC. Been attached to JAG Headquarters for eight years, Admiral Chegwidden's Chief of Staff for the last four. Prior to that she was a junior judge advocate for First MEF at Camp Pendleton for four years, and an administrative officer at Camp Foster, Okinawa for four years prior to that. Spotty record overall but fitreps all concur that she was an extremely capable investigator and trial lawyer."

"Next of kin?" Gibbs asked impatiently.

"Her husband, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Gary MacKenzie. He's a CID Special Agent currently on assignment in Afghanistan. He'll be notified by someone on the ground and transferred back stateside. Emergency details also list a twin sister, Lieutenant Commander Diane Schonke, she's an intel specialist out of the Pentagon. Her father is deceased and her mother dropped off the grid several years ago," McGee said without even consulting his notes.

"Who else?" Gibbs prompted and Tony snatched up the clicker before Kate had the chance to, earning him a solid glare.

"The only other officer killed in the blast was Lieutenant Commander James Gomez, he was a Law Limited Duty Officer. Served fifteen years as an enlisted legalman at bases all around CONUS, became an LDO five years ago and has been at JAG HQ as senior paralegal for the last two years. Excellent record, absolutely spotless. Divorced, two kids, they both live with the mother in Oregon," Tony reeled off flawlessly, bringing up a picture of the Law LDO.

"Enlisted?"

"Five in all," Kate said, snatching the clicker from Tony and clicking it rapidly to bring up another five photos. "Command Master Chief Paul Bradfield is the current CMC for the JAG Corps, he's a lifer, no known debts, wife died in a car crash ten years ago, kids are all grown up and scattered around the place. Two other navy, Legalman Third Class Jenna Davis and Seaman Ally Thompson, and two Marine Corps security detachment members, Gunnery Sergeant Dominic Alston and Private First Class Harrison Richards. All of them are clean, nothing unusual in their service records and CACO has taken care of notification."

"Evidence?" Gibbs prompted again.

"We found the remains of a detonator at the scene. Swabs for explosive residue from near the centre of the blast and shrapnel from each of the fatalities. It's all with Abby now," Kate replied.

"Do we have any suspects?"

"Well, boss, they're JAG lawyers. As Rabb pointed out, making enemies is kinda what they do..." Tony answered but his smile wavered when Gibbs turned a glare towards him and he turned serious in a second. "I'm cross checking the JAG visitor logs with security footage..."

"... I'm checking phone and bank records on all members of the staff to look for any anomalies..." McGee continued.

"... and I'm going through case files, looking for someone with a grudge or a score to settle," Kate finished, leaving the three team members all looking at their leader.

"What are you waiting for?" he growled and all three immediately jumped and raced back to their workstations to do their self-allotted tasks. Gibbs watched them for several moments, pacing up and down before his cell phone chirped. Flicking the phone open, he held it up to his ear and grunted, "Gibbs." He paused his pacing to listen to the excitable babble of the NCIS forensic tech. "I'll be right down," he finished, flicking his phone closed and stalking off towards the elevator.


	4. Chapter 1: Office Shake-Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (REWRITTEN) When Major General Creswell arrives at JAG Headquarters, his first day on the job sees Commander Rabb and a new Marine Judge Advocate, a former Naval Flight Officer, sent out to the _Patrick Henry_ to investigate a raid conducted in the air over Iraq...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  ** _EDIT: (6/02/2013)_** Here is the rewrite of chapter one, with major changes to the location and reason for Harm and Zapper's trip out to the Henry. Chapter Two coming soon.

### Chapter 1: Office Shake-Up

####  **0442 HOURS LOCAL**  
 **JAG HEADQUARTERS - WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, WASHINGTON, D.C.**  


After a marathon, mentally draining, eighteen hour hearing during which he had been grilled by a committee of Congress-people, Colonel Gordon M. Creswell, United States Marine Corps, known to his friends as "Biff", left the Capitol Building having been officially promoted to Brigadier General and then Major General on the same day before he made the seven minute trip to the Washington Navy Yard as the 37th Judge Advocate General of the Navy. Arriving at his new Headquarters, he strode through the quiet and darkened halls of the building to reach his new office. Upon reaching his desk, he flicked on the lamp before he opened his briefcase, removing his new nameplate and several manila files containing the service records of both the senior attorneys at JAG HQ and several other junior and senior attorneys he planned to add to his new expanded staff. While his predecessor had employed just five attorneys at JAG Headquarters, he planned to have at least eight, with up to ten attorneys working out of his office.

The three senior attorneys posted to JAG HQ were all very different men, and yet as far as he could see, the three all worked exceptionally well together. Lieutenant Commander Budrick "Bud" Roberts Jr. (Designator 2500) had a mostly impeccable service record. Joining the Navy through OCS at NS Newport, Rhode Island, he reported to the USS _Seahawk_ where he served as the Public Affairs Officer, but was also successful in attaining his Surface Warfare Badge. He was inspired to join JAG by Lieutenant Harmon Rabb and had done so with the recommendation of Lieutenant Meg Austin, attending law school at nights and weekends, he was finally admitted to the bar and appointed as a Judge Advocate in 1999. In 2002, after 9/11, Roberts was posted back to the USS _Seahawk_ , this time as Staff Judge Advocate. During this tour he lost his leg after stepping on a mine while on a humanitarian visit to Afghanistan. After a struggle to be allowed to remain in the Navy, he finally received his oak leaf with the personal recommendation, and final act, of the outgoing Judge Advocate General, Rear Admiral A.J. Chegwidden. Roberts also had a family listed, his wife Lieutenant JG Harriet Sims Roberts, and three young sons.

Commander Peter Ulysses "Sturgis" Turner (Designator 2500), on the other hand, was a graduate of the Naval Academy at Annapolis who unlike his band of friends at the Academy - the Four Musketeers - he went on to serve on the _Los Angeles_ class submarine USS _City of Corpus Christi_ where he achieved his Submarine Warfare Badge while serving as a Sonar Officer. He was forced to leave the submarine community by a congenital inner ear defect, and like his academy classmate and friend Harmon Rabb, he went to law school and transferred to the JAG Corps. Since joining JAG, Turner had served mostly overseas postings as a Staff Judge Advocate on the USS _Wake Island_ and _Coral Sea_ before tours as Force Judge Advocate Submarine Forces, Atlantic (FJA SubLant) and Force Judge Advocate Submarine Forces, Pacific (FJA SubPac). Since being posted to JAG Headquarters, Turner had been the third most senior officer on staff and served as an investigator or counsel on several high profile cases. He had also received the Bronze Star for his part in destroying a rogue Russian submarine carrying a "dirty nuke" while TAD to the USS _Watertown_. Within his SRB, however, were unofficial notes from both his permanent and acting predecessors noting that in recent times Turner seemed to have, as A.J. put it, "a seven-foot yardarm up his arse", causing friction between himself and other members of the command.

The third service record was something of a surprise to the old Marine. The manila file which contained the service record was crimson, unlike the others, and bore a notice that the service record contained within was classified TOP SECRET Level One. As a former carrier of the nuclear football, Creswell had TOP SECRET Level One and YANKEE WHITE Category One clearance, so viewing the file was thankfully not an issue for him. Commander Harmon Matthew "Harm" Rabb (Designator 2500) was another graduate of Annapolis and infamous member of the Four Musketeers. Originally reporting to flight training, Rabb qualified as a Naval Aviator before reporting to Fighter Squadron 214 on the USS _Patrick Henry_. After a ramp strike resulted in the death of his Radar Intercept Officer, he was removed from active flight status and retrained as a lawyer, reporting to JAG Headquarters. Rabb would go on to serve at JAG Headquarters and a tour as Staff Judge Advocate on board USS _America_ before his vision was corrected and he returned to the fleet, serving a single combat tour with Fighter Squadron 218, again on the _Patrick Henry_ , before returning to JAG. 

Rabb's record showed regular periods of TAD to "United States Joint Special Operations Group" ever since he had met a "Special Assistant to the Undersecretary of State" Clayton Webb. These regular periods included notices that Rabb had, through these TADs, additionally qualified as a Naval Flight Officer, a HALO parachutist and is fully carrier-qualified for both the F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet, as well as being qualified to fly the C-130 Hercules, C-2 Greyhound and Stearman PT-17, as well as being only the second aviator to land the F-117N Seahawk on a carrier. On an undercover investigation, Rabb had completed BUD/S training and had been named an "Honourary Navy SEAL" and had also trained with Force Recon Marines. Despite hearing that Rabb had resigned his commission late last year, there was nothing about it in his record, instead it showed he had been transferred to JSOG and assigned a temporary designator of 1150, and had two separate Personnel Evaluations, one from Rear Admiral A.J. Chegwidden and one from a Lieutenant General David L. Sable, Head of JSOG, both stating that Rabb was an extremely dedicated and effective officer, and both independently recommended his promotion to O-6. Rabb also appeared to have a family - an adopted daughter named Matilda Grace Rabb (formerly Johnson) and had received special dispensation to have LN1 Jennifer Coates live in the apartment next door to help Matilda.

Biff made a note on a sheet of paper to name Commander Rabb as his Chief of Staff before reaching for a file from the pile of officers that would most likely join his staff. First off was Lieutenant Emma McLellan, USNR (Designator 2505), a 25 year old active reserve officer who had joined the JAG Corps after the Navy payed her college tuition. An up-and-coming junior attorney and a highly capable litigator, McLellan had served at Naval Legal Service Office Oceana since she had graduated from Texas A&M.

Presented with the possibility of appointing one of two Marine lawyers to his staff to replace Lieutenant Colonel MacKenzie, he decided against Major MacBurney after reading that he had been responsible for prosecuting in Commander Rabb's court-martial, and instead reached for the file of MacBurney's subordinate at Regional Legal Service Office West at NS San Diego. Captain Brendan James "Zapper" Sparks (Primary MOS = 4402, Secondary MOS = 7525) was, at 30 years old, the poster boy for Marine Judge Advocates. Graduating from Annapolis in 1997, Sparks originally trained as a Naval Flight Officer and qualified as a "wizzo" - Weapons Systems Officer - for F/A-18D Hornets and was a member of Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron 225 - the _Vikings_ \- attached to the USS _Patrick Henry_ to complete sorties into Iraq. After he lost the third and fourth fingers on his left hand and 25 percent of the eyesight in his left eye after he and his pilot Lieutenan Colonel George Ripley were shot down over the Gulf, Sparks was faced with the possibility of a medical discharge, and to avoid this, he had requested, and eventually been permitted to attend law school after hearing of the success of another grounded aviator in the courtroom. Officially joining the Marine Judge Advocate Division in 2003, Sparks had quickly established himself as one of the best Marine lawyers in the business and had already served two tours as Staff Judge Advocate aboard the USS _Guadalcanal_ before his present tour as a JAGMAN investigator and trial counsel at RLSO West.

Another member of staff who he nominated almost straight off the bat was Lieutenant Commander Faith Coleman (Designator 2500). Coleman had joined the Navy through NROTC at Georgetown University and since joining the JAG Corps, she had lost just two cases that went to verdict. While she was not noted as an extremely able investigator, her FITREPs noted that with some training and effort she would likely become a leading investigator.

The last member of staff that Biff decided to have immediate orders cut for was a newly commissioned officer who nevertheless came highly recommended. Ensign Jason Ian Tiner (Designator 2500) was a graduate of Georgetown University's night school and had only recently completed Officer Candidate School. Despite this, Tiner had a personal recommendation from RADM Chegwidden stating that with training, Tiner was capable of being a fine lawyer and credit to the Naval Service, particular if given the opportunity to be mentored by Commanders Rabb, Turner and Roberts.

His staff chosen, he wrote a letter to BUPERS requesting the orders be cut before he switched off the lamp and left the office ready to return on Monday for his meeting with his new staff.

####  **0952 HOURS LOCAL**  
 **JAG HEADQUARTERS - WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, WASHINGTON, D.C.**  


There were several surprises for the staff of JAG Headquarters when they arrived at work on Monday. First were the signs on the JAG's office which now read " _Major General Gordon M. Creswell, USMC_." Secondly was the new signage in particular on Harm's office which now read " _Commander Harmon Rabb Jr., USN - Chief of Staff to the Judge Advocate General of the Navy_ ", followed by another smaller sign reading " _Captain Brendan Sparks, USMC_ " with similar dual signs on each of the other offices of the attorneys.

The third surprise came when the current senior staff - Harm, Sturgis and Bud - walked into the conference room and were faced with four new faces at JAG HQ, or rather two new faces, a Navy Lieutenant and Marine Captain, with Faith Coleman, Harm's erstwhile defender at his court-martial, and Jason Tiner the long-serving, and long suffering, former Yeoman to Admiral Chegwidden. Taking advantage of the five minutes before the General was due to arrive at the meeting, Harm went to greet the new officers, spending a short time talking to each officer and was surprised to learn that the young female Lieutenant was also from La Jolla, California, and that the Marine Captain had also flown combat missions off the USS _Patrick Henry_ as a Weapons Systems Officer in F/18D Hornets. He also greeted Faith warmly, still feeling a debt of gratitude for the court-martial on the charge of murdering Loren Singer. Finally he reached Jason Tiner, seeing him for the first time in Service Dress Blues with a single gold bar and JAG millrind on his sleeves.

Before they could do much more than a meet and greet, Jen Coates stepped into the conference room with a secret smile and roll of her eyes before stepping to the side. "Attention on deck!" she barked authoritatively as General Creswell entered the conference room to meet his new staff for the first time, all of whom snapped to attention the moment the new JAG stepped through the door.

Biff stopped for a moment and looked around at the assembled attorneys and nodded appreciatively before speaking, "As you were!" He made his way to the head of the conference table, and hefting his briefcase onto the table and flicking the locks, he pulled several manila file folders and placed them on the table. "Now, introductions, as you are all aware, I'm Major General Biff Creswell and I'm the new JAG. I'm a man of few words, but when I do speak, I hope you have the respect to listen, just as I will listen to your suggestions. I look forward to working with you all. In addition, we have some new members of staff here at JAG. I'm sure by now you've all been able to at least introduce yourself to all of them. Now, I understand that the members of this office lost a good friend and colleague recently, but unfortunately, the work of the military continues and I need all of you to be on top of your game."

Picking up the pile of case files, Biff looked around at the staff and started to hand out the files, speaking as he did so, "Assignments, Captain Sparks, you'll be working as Commander Rabb's partner for the immediate future. The two of you are off to the USS _Patrick Henry_. Last night a flight of F/A-18C Hornets from VMFA-254 were flying a mission over Iraq when they were faced with anti-aircraft artillery and MiG-29s carrying air-to-air missiles. Four of the six planes in the flight returned to the ship, and the remaining two pilots were recovered alive and well, and after reviewing testimony, it appears that the Strike Group Commander will be recommending the flight leader for the Medal of Honour."

"The Medal of Honour, sir?" Harm asked, looking surprised at the gravitas of such an award for a combat flight.

"Yes, Commander. The Commander of the Strike Group, Rear Admiral Tobias Ingles asked that you be allowed to investigate, much as you did for Lieutenant Rivers," Biff explained, making careful note of his subordinate's reactions.

"Sir, might I ask the name of the Flight Leader?" Brendan asked, leaning forward with interest.

"According to the file, the flight leader was Lieutenant Colonel Harry..." "Harry Dreyfuss, sir?" the Marine Captain interrupted his CO with a look of awe.

"You know the Colonel, Captain Sparks?" Biff looked intrigued.

"Uh, yes sir. He's a legend in Marine Corps Aviation," Brendan explained, continuing at a look from the senior officers in the room. "He's served in Desert Storm, Desert Fox and Iraqi Freedom, as well as the wars in Kosovo and Bosnia. He's a certified ace in both Kosovo and Iraqi Freedom with 17 confirmed kills, plus any from last night's mission, sir."

"Impressive," Biff nodded thoughtfully. "In any case, I am sending you both out to the Patrick Henry, and I want a fair investigation, no bias because of your common flying background. Understood?"

"Aye, sir!" Harm and Brendan both agreed, straightening in their chairs as they did so.

"Very good, Lieutenant McLellan will be on hand here at Headquarters to undertake any stateside investigation you require. Your transport leaves Andrews at 1500 Hours, you are dismissed to pack," Biff informed them and both Harm and Brendan left the conference room, before the weekly briefing continued. "Commander Turner, you and Commander Coleman are assigned to the investigation of Navy Seaman Apprentice Jaxon Thomas and the alleged attempted rape at Norfolk. Meanwhile, Commander Roberts, you and Ensign Tiner will investigate Petty Officer Third Class Thomas Quinn, he went UA from the Navy Yard three days ago and hasn't been seen since."

####  **1506 HOURS LOCAL**  
 **ANDREWS AFB - PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MD.**  


"So, what did you fly, Captain?" Harm asked as he strapped himself into his seat on the C-130J Super Hercules flying them on the first two legs of their trip out to the _Patrick Henry_ via Naples and Kuwait.

"I was a wizzo in F/A-18Ds, sir, and please call me Zapper, that was my call-sign after all. What about you?" Zapper replied.

"Started in F-14s, but I'm also qualified for F/A-18Cs, Ds, Es and Fs as well as the C-130 and C-2," Harm answered. "I've had an... eclectic career," he added when the marine aviator looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Read worked for the Company, sir?" Zapper asked, having seen enough pilots on TAD to the CIA in his time in the squadron.

"Read whatever you like, Zapper, but in my life I've learnt that unless it's connected to a JAG investigation, no questions above your paygrade," Harm replied, flashing a crooked grin that confirmed Zapper's thoughts, contrary to Harm's words.

"If I might ask, sir, why'd you leave the fleet for JAG?" Zapper asked as the large cargo plane started its flight out to the aircraft carrier located in the Virginia Capes Operating Area.

"Eye problem misdiagnosed after a ramp strike," Harm explained. "Left the fleet and went to law school. I had the problem corrected about five years later and did another tour in the fleet so I could leave on my own terms. I'm assuming you left because of your hand?"

"Yes, sir," Zapper nodded. "I can still fly, but I lost 25 percent of the sight in my left eye so the flight surgeon recommended that if I wanted to keep my flight status I should find a job where I wouldn't be getting cat-shot off a carrier every day."

"Maybe we can convince the CAG to let us take a Super Hornet up, part of the investigative process, you know," Harm said with a sly grin. "I prefer Tomcats but you're only qualified for Hornets so they'll have to do."

"You think the CAG will let us?" Zapper looked at the senior officer skeptically.

"I can try!" Harm replied. "I know the CAG, the XO and the Commanding Admiral on board the Henry so I might just get us a ride... I hope." The last part he muttered so that only he could hear it.

"Commanding Admiral, huh?" Zapper looked impressed, "You have friends in high places, sir."

"Look, uh, call me Harm. I'm not big on formality in private," Harm told the junior officer.

"Thank you, Harm," Zapper thanked his new partner as the plane soared over Maryland en route to its first stop on its trip to Kuwait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A Note on Designators and MOS (Military Occupational Speciality):**  
>  Designator 2500 refers to an Officer of the Regular Navy who is a member of the JAG Corps and whose rank is Ensign (O-1) or above.  
> Designator 2505 refers to an Officer of the Naval Reserve who is a member of the JAG Corps and whose rank is Ensign (O-1) or above.  
> MOS 4402 refers to an Officer of the Regular Marine Corps qualified as a Judge Advocate whose rank is Second Lieutenant (O-1) or above.  
> MOS 7525 refers to an Officer of the Regular Marine Corps qualified as a Naval Flight Officer (WSO for F/A-18Ds) whose rank is Second Lieutenant (O-1) or above.
> 
> According to my research, Designator 1150 does not exist in real life, but for the purposes of this story, it is a temporary designator referring to an Officer of the Regular Navy - Line, Limited Duty or Staff Corps - who is temporarily attached to a JSOG unit whose rank is Ensign (O-1) or above.


	5. Chapter 2: Above and Beyond the Call (Part One)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harm and Zapper arrive out on the _Patrick Henry_ and in quick order they establish just what happened on that night over Iraq and are ready to report in.

### Chapter 2: Above and Beyond the Call (Part One)

The **Medal of Honor** is the United States of America's highest military honor, awarded for personal acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty. The medal is awarded by the President of the United States in the name of Congress to US military personnel only. There are three versions of the medal, one for the Army, one for the Navy, and one for the Air Force. Personnel of the Marine Corps and Coast Guard receive the Navy Medal of Honor. (Thanks to Wikipedia)

####  **1651 HOURS LOCAL**  
 **USS _PATRICK HENRY_ \- PERSIAN GULF, OFF THE COAST OF SOUTHERN KUWAIT**  


The final short leg of the marathon journey from Washington D.C. to the USS _Patrick Henry_ \- one of three carriers in the Gulf, and five supporting the Iraq War - saw Harm and Zapper flying out from Kuwait City to the carrier sitting off the coast of Pearl City in Southern Kuwait on a C-2 Alpha Greyhound. When the large turboprop multi-purpose plane touched down on the deck of the _Nimitz_ class carrier and was brought to a rapid stop by its tailhook catching an arrestor wire. As the two Judge Advocates stepped off the COD, they were met by a desert flight suit clad officer with commander's insignia stitched on his shoulders. "Welcome to the Henry, Commander!" The unidentified aviator said with a wide grin and in that moment, Harm recognised the aviator, the voice was recognisable in itself, but that broad smile was simply unmistakable as anyone but his former wingman.

"Tuna!" Harm said, smile widening as the two aviators shared a manly hug. "This is my new partner, Brendan Sparks, known as Zapper. Zap, this is my former wingman, David Medwick, known as Tuna," Harm introduced the two men.

"It's good to meet you, Zapper, but we better get off the flight deck, there's a sortie of Rhinos due to trap in about ten minutes," Tuna told them even as the C-2 was moved out of the way to allow the F/A-18E/F Super Hornets a clear deck to trap. "I'm guessing you to are here about the Fox?" Tuna asked as they stepped from the flight deck into the ship's island.

"Yes, Admiral Ingles called us in to make sure everything is above board," Harm affirmed, having been told about LtCol Dreyfuss' whole military history, including his call-sign, on the flights over.

"Fair enough," Tuna nodded in understanding, "that would also explain why Ingles requested you report to the flag bridge."

* * *

"Commander Rabb and Captain Sparks reporting as ordered, sir!" Harm said as he and Zapper stood at attention, making sure to stare over Ingles' shoulder and out the window to the wide blue ocean.

"At ease, gentlemen," Tobias said with a smile as the two JAGs adopted the at ease position and dropped their eyes to meet his. "I trust, Commander Rabb, that you are not here to subpoena my files?"

"Uh, no sir," Harm said, chuckling at the old joke between the two officers, "I'm under the impression that I am here at your request, sir?"

"What can I say?" Tobias shrugged "It's been too long since you served on one of my ships," he added and Harm couldn't be one hundred percent sure whether he was joking or serious.

"Admiral, this is my new partner Captain Brendan Sparks, Captain Brendan Sparks, Rear Admiral Tobias Ingles, the most deserving man to receive his star," Harm introduced his partner to an old sparring partner.

"Ah, yes, we were sorry to hear about Mac, Harm," Tobias said, before adding, "I would have liked to send at least a representative from my command, but with all the operations around here, I couldn't spare anyone."

"Thank you, sir, I understand," Harm nodded thankfully at the older flag officer, a grateful smile crossing his lips. "Now, sir, can you tell us what this is about?"

"I think perhaps the CAG could explain that better since he has all the details," Tobias informed them, gesturing to a flight-suit clad officer to one side of the bridge wearing a _Patrick Henry_ ballcap complete with scrambled eggs on the brim.

"Captain Loftness, congratulations on your promotion," Harm said sincerely to the S-3B Viking pilot and former NAVAIRLANT Landing Signal Officer who, despite their rocky beginnings, saved the lives of Harm and his RIO Lieutenant Elizabeth Hawkes after their Tomcat went down on a hop from the carrier to Andrews Air Force Base. "So, what are we here to investigate?"

"Not an investigation, per se, Commander," Stacy Loftness said as he stepped forward and shook Harm's hand, "as far as I am concerned, the Fox deserves the button for the mission, but SECNAV, the Commandant and CNO like to check these things out, make sure everything is above board, that there is nothing embarrassing in his past."

"So, the best people to talk to would be Colonel Dreyfuss and the other pilots, then?" Harm asked looking between Stacy and Tobias.

"Yes it would. Tuna, take Commander Rabb down to the Fox's quarters, and if he's not there, to the readyroom or mess," Stacy said, nodding to the commander of the carrier's embarked F-14 Tomcat squadron.

* * *

"So, Colonel Dreyfuss, what can you tell us about the mission over Iraq?" Harm asked after starting his trusty Dictaphone recording which he always brought on shipboard investigations.

####  **THREE DAYS EARLIER**  
 **2044 HOURS LOCAL**  
 **GHOST FLIGHT - SOMEWHERE OVER SOUTHERN IRAQ**

"Big Mother, this is Ghost Flight, going Tactical, see you in a couple of hours. Over," the voice of Lieutenant Colonel Harry "The Fox" Dreyfuss crackled through the cockpits of the other five F/A-18C Hornets and through a speaker on the flight control bridge of the carrier, now far behind them off Kuwait.

 _"Roger Ghost Flight. Good luck, Big Mother Out,"_ came the response from CAPT Loftness and the mission officially started.

"Magic, you're with me, we're gonna scout ahead," The Fox radioed out the orders, "Thor, you've got lead until we join up again."

 _"Roger, Fox,"_ two separate voices stated their agreement and two of the six Hornets in the formation moved ahead of the others and accelerated towards their goal at Suq Al-Shuyukh. After a couple of minutes flight time, the lead Hornets were approaching the location of the supposed Ba'athist stronghold when there was a small ping on the Hornet's radar screen. _"Fox, we got a pop-up, two bogies inbound, opposite course high, speed 500,"_ First Lieutenant Alex "Magic" Grabowicz's voice crackled through Fox's headset.

"Roger that, Magic, I got 'em on my scope," Fox said calmly, watching as the two bogies closed the distance.

That however, was the last moment of calm as everything around the two fighter/attack jets went to shit...

At one moment, the supposed two bogies separated and suddenly there was six bogies closing in on them, _"Awwwww, shit! We got six bogies now! I repeat six!"_ Magic's frantic voice filled his headset for a moment before he took control.

"Thor, this is Fox, we have six bogies inbound, suspected Fulcrums, get your arse in here!" Fox barked as he and Magic continued towards the impending dogfight.

 _"On our way, Fox. Tallyho!"_ came the response from Major Mark "Thor" Eriksson.

In the meantime, Magic and the Fox adopted a combat spread and started the fight in earnest. The voices in Fox's headset were so rapid-fire that he couldn't hear what was going on, but he saw Magic's plane strafed by one of the planes which he recognised as a Fulcrum - a Mikoyan MiG-29 - and he rushed to help his now stricken wingman. He heard the dreaded radio call informing him that Magic was ejecting and he watched as the Martin-Baker ejection seat fired and carried the Marine aviator clear of his now inoperable plane only to be attacked by two of the MiGs. He rapidly turned his plane hard to port and loosed a missile which destroyed the first MiG before it could close half the distance to the pilot in his chute.

In his haste to protect his wingman however, Fox had broken a cardinal rule of air combat manouevres and had allowed an enemy aircraft a free shot at his plane. As he pulled an almost eight g-turn to convert his position, he felt an impact on the port side of his plane which had been just barely clipped by an AA shell from the grounds of their target and his portside engine was now streaming fuel and had to be shut down. As he fired the second of his AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles and "splashed" a second MiG, he heard an explosion and looked down to see that Thor had arrived and taken out the AA battery with one of his AGM-65 Maverick missiles intended to be used to destroy their target.

Looking back for a moment, Fox saw the damage done to his "bird", which was still streaming fuel, and was tempted to turn back to the ship and "bug out", but his training kicked in and he soared back into the contest, taking another two MiGs out of the battle with Guns before an S-24 rocket impacted the tail of his Hornet and he was forced to eject.

####  **1707 HOURS LOCAL**  
 **USS _PATRICK HENRY_ \- PERSIAN GULF, OFF THE COAST OF SOUTHERN KUWAIT**  


"...I was picked up maybe half an hour later by a Sea Hawk helo and was informed that Thor and Q - that's Major Michael Quigley - had completed the mission and the target had been successfully destroyed," The Fox finished his explanation of the dogfight, and Harm had to admit he was in awe of the fellow O-5 officer opposite him who had just splashed four out of six opponents in a dogfight.

"Thank you, Colonel. A few more interviews and I will have enough information to formulate a recommendation and you will be informed of the outcome," Harm said as he stood and nodded to the Marine Lieutenant Colonel clad in a desert flight suit.

"Thank you Commander," The Fox said with a smile as he also stood and the two aviators shook hands.


	6. Chapter 3: Above and Beyond the Call (Part Two)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harm is reunited with his first wingman also serving on the _Patrick Henry_ and is given another opportunity to fly a combat mission for the Navy.

### Chapter 3: Above and Beyond the Call (Part Two)

####  **THE NEXT DAY**  
 **1800 HOURS LOCAL**  
 **USS _PATRICK HENRY_ \- PERSIAN GULF, OFF THE COAST OF SOUTHERN KUWAIT**  


"Admiral, I believe with certainty that you can safely recommend the Fox for the Medal of Honour, neither Zapper's nor my interviews turned up anything that threw the award in doubt, and quite frankly he's almost acheived ace status in one engagement even with a damaged plane. Thanks for having us aboard," Harm finished his report to Admiral Ingles.

"You're not going anywhere yet, Mister Rabb!" Tobias said loudly and Harm wondered what he'd done wrong this time. "The Patrick Henry Air Wing still owes you a flight in a Hornet!"

"Sir, I appreciate it, but neither Captain Sparks or myself would dream of taking a joyride in the middle of a war zone," Harm said, not wanting to interrupt the high tempo operations that always accompany an aircraft carrier in a combat zone.

"Joyride?" Admiral Ingles looked incredulous, "This isn't a joyride, Commander. You and Captain Sparks have been assigned to a sortie over Iraq, hell, Commander at the request of the squadron Commander you've been given flight lead, division 1."

"Who in their right mind would give a lawyer the position of flight lead on a combat sortie?" Harm asked disbelievingly.

"That would be me, Harm!" a familiar feminine voice came from the doorway to the flag bridge and Harm turned to see someone he hadn't seen since he'd left his first squadron on the _Patrick Henry_.

"Katie? Katie Morrison? Since when have you been a CO? Hell since when have you been flying Rhinos?" Harm asked in rapid-fire and in disbelief as he was wrapped up in a brief hug by his first wingman - for lack of a better word - the first female pilot to fly a combat patrol, and the first woman to command a carrier-based aircraft squadron.

Katie chuckled, "God, I've missed talking to you Harmon Rabb! In answer to your four questions, yes, yes, 10 months but in the pipeline about 11 years, and I've been flying Rhino's for two years."

"Still doesn't explain to me why the girl we called Kitty is going to let a pair of lawyers fly a combat sortie, let alone be flight lead?" Harm said, raising an eyebrow at the female Commander.

"I could say it's because you're like a brother to me, but while that is true, you went to TOPGUN, which noone in this squadron has done, and you were, and still are I've heard, a damn good naval aviator, one of the best. Plus, there's no one I'd trust more to fly my wing than Harmon Rabb Jr.," Katie said with a sincere smile.

"Yeah, I went to TOPGUN... in like 1990! I think my curriculum was a bit different to these days!" Harm fired back, already grinning along with Zapper at the thought of getting into the cockpit. "Oh, this is Captain Brendan Sparks, by the way, Katie. He's gonna be my wizzo," Harm added after he realised Katie had yet to be introduced to his partner.

"You know how to back-seat in a Rhino, Marine?" Katie asked in a mock-condascending tone of voice which had Zapper smiling wider.

"It can't be too hard, Commander. Knowing you Navy types, everything'll probably be colour-coded!" he shot back and both Harm and Katie looked impressed.

"Touché, Captain," Katie said with a grin before looking back at Harm, "now, both of you get suited up and get down to the ready room! I get to be your CO for a day!"

"Aye, ma'am!" Harm and Zapper stood at attention before whooping and racing off to get themselves flight suits.

* * *

Harm relished the opportunity to be allowed once again into the cockpit of a Navy jet, still privately amazed that Katie, who he hadn't seen in almost eleven years, was more than willing to let him fly a combat mission, and even more than that, that a CAG would be willing to let a couple of lawyers fly in said combat mission, even if one of those lawyers had at one time or another flown at TOPGUN. As he and Zapper settled into the Super Hornet's cockpit, the junior officer couldn't help but notice Harm kissing the tips of his glove fingers before touching them tenderly to the canopy, as if promising himself that next time he left the cockpit it would be when they touched down again.

"So are you with me, Zapper?" Harm asked, looking into the rear cockpit.

"To hell and back, sir, to hell and back," Zapper replied, his own grin spreading across his face as he too enjoyed being back in a fighter cockpit.

####  **1940 HOURS LOCAL**  
 **BADMAN FLIGHT - SOMEWHERE OVER SOUTHERN IRAQ**

_"You alright there Hammer?"_ Katie Morrison's voice crackled through Harm's headset shortly after he had called "feet dry" meaning that the group of four planes on the secretive mission had crossed the coast into Iraq.

"I'm fine, Kitty," Harm replied, thankful that the Commander flying his wing couldn't see him snicker as he used the call-sign that she had picked up virtually straight out of flight school, waggling his wings slightly in an additional show that all was well. "Badman Flight, this is Badman Leader. All units set course for Amarah on bearing 3-5-5. Go tactical. Break-break," Harm opened his mike so that all four members of the flight could hear.

 _"This is Badman 2, going tactical,"_ Katie reported shortly before the pilots in Badman 3 and Badman 4 echoed her and the four Navy Super Hornets turned northwards towards their target near the city of Amarah, located just 15 miles from the Iraqi-Iranian border and believed to be home to an al-Qaeda outpost of some kind.

####  **0114 HOURS LOCAL**  
 **USS _PATRICK HENRY_ \- PERSIAN GULF, OFF THE COAST OF SOUTHERN KUWAIT**  


 _"Badman Leader, this is Paddles, you are at a mile and three quarters, call the ball,"_ Harm sighed in relief as the _Patrick Henry_ finally loomed ahead of them after the marathon five hour mission which had seen the flight of Rhinos take out to al-Qaeda outposts between Iraq and Iran before returning to the ship.

"Paddles, this is Badman Leader, Rhino, Ball 2-point-9," Harm reported as he manouevred the plane into final approach.

 _"Roger, Ball,"_ he heard the Landing Signal Officer on duty confirm before the traditional litany of directions developed, the LSO guiding Harm in to land, which he did, the tailhook of the Super Hornet catching the three-wire before the plane was directed away from the landing area to allow the rest of the flight to trap.

* * *

Harm and Zapper chatted amiably in the aviator's mess after their official debrief, cups of coffee sitting half drunk on the table as the only way they were both able to stay awake in order to finish their debriefs and finalise the investigation reports on Colonel Dreyfuss before they were due to fly back to Washington. The sound of a clearing throat shook the JAG investigators out of their conversation and Harm looked up to see Katie standing there as she asked, "Mind if I sit down?"

"Not at all, Katie, Zapper and I were just discussing getting back to Washington," Harm said, gesturing her into a chair beside him.

"Thanks, Harm," Katie said with a smile. "I'm looking back to getting back home myself. We've only got another two weeks until we sail for home ourselves."

"Looking forward to it?" Harm asked with a grin.

"Of course! Maybe you and I should catch up when I get back?" Katie asked casually.

"Maybe, Katie, maybe," Harm replied, his grin still plastered across his face.


	7. Chapter 4: Waltzing Matilda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's an unexpected visitor at JAG, surprising Harm and Bud, while in the meantime Mattie has trouble coping at school until she meets a girl by the name of Cammie Creswell...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I never had a problem with Mic Brumby in JAG, and I honestly think that if the "Mac issue" had not been there that Harm and Mic could have been friends. The point that Mic would not be given a commission in the USN as he is not a US citizen is also moot because unless I am imagining things, in one episode he said that he had dual citizenship and was a member of the D.C. bar.

### Chapter 4: Waltzing Matilda

####  **1004 HOURS LOCAL**  
 **JAG HEADQUARTERS - WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, WASHINGTON, D.C.**

Harm looked around the office he shared with Zapper, and smiled as the signs that both officers were aviators - the two flight helmets sitting side-by-side on the shared filing cabinets, flanked by models of both the F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet. He silently cursed Zapper for going on an investigation of his own out to the USS _Wake Island_ , not that he would've wanted to deal with two very angry O-6 officers after the Marine Force went ashore two miles south of the intended landing spot. The Colonel in charge of the marines was blaming the "squids" while the skipper of the _Wake Island_ was blaming the "jarheads" charged with piloting the amtracs (amphibious track vehicles). With a heavy sigh, he went back to reviewing the Freedom of Information Act reports and trivial cases which could be disposed of without him leaving his desk. A knock on the door provided him with a welcome interruption to the menial work. "Enter!" he called out and leaned back in his chair waiting for the guest to open the door.

"Commander?" Jason Tiner asked poking his head around the door. "There's a guest here to see you."

"Very well yeo-, sorry, old habits die hard..." Harm started, still getting used to the fact that Tiner was now commissioned, he hastily amended, "ensign. Send him in."

Of all the people that Tiner could have brought into Harm's new office on the fourth floor of the William Butler Remey Building, named after the first ever Judge Advocate General of the Navy, the one that did enter would not have even appeared on Harm's list of likely suspects. When the person in question stepped up to his desk and offered a hand, Harm stared disbelievingly for a few moments before he was shaken out of his stupor by a thick Australian accent, "G'day, mate."

"Brumby," Harm greeted, shaking the offered hand. "I really should be punching you for walking out on Mac, but even I realised long ago that she was hung up on me. In any case, what on earth are you doing in Washington, Mic?"

The burly Australian shrugged his shoulders before answering, "Sydney just didn't sit right with me anymore. I got passed over for Captain in a lawyer's billet and the Fleet Commander told me I'd spent too long in the courtroom to get command of a frigate and that I'd have little chance of advancement even if I took command of a Freo or an Armidale."

"Freo? Armidale?" Harm asked, looking at Mic in confusion.

"Oh, sorry mate! Fremantle and Armidale classes, they're the old and new classes of RAN patrol boats. Normally commanded by a lieutenant or lieutenant commander, so not much hope for me there," Mic explained.

"Right. Sorry, you were saying?" Harm apologised for interrupting and gestured the Aussie lawyer to continue.

"Well, I was speaking to A.J. Chegwidden before I decided to move - he called me to tell me about Mac - and he suggested I talk to BUPERS about a direct commission at grade into the US Navy and I try my luck as a JAG lawyer, see if I can't get any advancement in the US," Mic expained to a bemused Harm. "I'm here to speak to the new boss and hope he's willing to sign off on the transfer. I know we haven't been the best of friends, but I was hoping you might be able to recommend me to Creswell?"

"You're right Brumby, we haven't been the best of friends and that's why I'm seriously confused that my first instinct is to do what you ask," Harm said with a grin, he'd never really been friends with Mic, but he had enjoyed the banter and friendly competition, not that he would ever admit it. As a fighter pilot, the testosterone fuelled battles between Mic and himself had been pretty much second nature to him. "We probably need another senior attorney since there's really only me, Sturgis and Bud that are really up to scratch leading an investigation. Leave it with me and I'll let you know by 1400 so that you'll have time before he secures to visit the General."

"Thanks Harm, I appreciate that you're willing to at least do that much," Mic said sincerely, shaking hands with Harm before leaving the aviator to his FOIA requests.

####  **1422 HOURS LOCAL**  
 **JAG HEADQUARTERS - WASHINGTON NAVY YARD, WASHINGTON, D.C.**

"General? Commander Rabb and Mic Brumby to see you," Jen Coates' voice sounded through the intercom on the General's desk.

"Send them in!" The General barked, placing his reading glasses on his desk. "Take a seat, gentlemen," he told the two men as they walked in. "Now what can I do for you Commander?"

"Sir, this is Mic Brumby, he's a lawyer in the Royal Australian Navy and has served on exchange to JAG before and he has recently returned to Washington," Harm gestured to the Australian with whom he had an antagonistic friendship. "He's looking for a direct commission into the United States Navy, but requires your signature on the papers."

"Yes, I've read the file, Mister Rabb," the General interdicted, "but what I want to know is why you are speaking on his behalf?"

"General, if I may," Mic spoke up, "I remember the commander from when I served here before, and hearing he was your Chief of Staff I took the opportunity to apprise him of the situation and asked if he could recommend me to you."

"Commander Brumby, while I am glad that you apprised my Chief of Staff, my officers speak for themselves," the General looked sternly at the Australian, "and I expect you to remember that when you report for duty in two weeks."

"Yes, sir!" Mic stood to attention with a wide smile on his face.

"I'll send your file to BUPERS and request they expedite it. Dismissed."

Harm joined Mic at attention and they both barked out "Aye aye sir!" before they turned and left the general's office.

####  **1515 HOURS LOCAL**  
 **THOMAS JEFFERSON HIGH SCHOOL - CITY OF ALEXANDRIA, VA.**

Mattie looked around her classroom helplessly, she still couldn't adjust to life at high school. She had been at Thomas Jefferson High for two months now, but she still only had one friend in her class, a rather... unusual... boy by the name of Andre. Andre was nice enough, but he didn't have any other friends, and being friends with him wasn't exactly conducive to making more friends, the poor boy was a textbook dweeb. Finally though, the bell rang and Mattie was released from the prison of boredom for another day.

After collecting her stuff from her locker, Mattie started making her way towards the entrance when someone tapped her on the shoulder and she turned towards the unknown person. "Um, are you Matilda Rabb?" the young girl she recognised as a fellow sophomore and recent transfer student asked.

"People call me Mattie," she replied, trying to let the annoyance at being called "Matilda" roll off her back. "Sorry, I don't know your name?"

"Oh, I'm Cameron Creswell, but people who don't want to get punched call me Cammie," the young girl greeted. "I heard before in homeroom that you are looking to join the Naval Academy after graduation. You wouldn't happen to be a navy brat would you?"

"Not exactly," Mattie said, starting to walk towards the exit again, Cammie following along. "My dad was in the Navy but went into the reserve before I was born but he died," she explained, waving off Cammie's apologies, "my dad, the guy who adopted me is Navy, he used to be an aviator, and that's what I wanna do when I leave school. I want to fly for the Navy. You?"

"No, I'm a Marine brat. I like the sound of aviation, but I dunno if dad would approve. He's a General," Cammie explained just as they pushed their way through the front doors of the school and walked out to where a dark blue SUV and a crimson Corvette were waiting alongside the kerb and two men were standing chatting amiably. "Hey dad!" Cammie called just moments before Mattie did.

"Wait a second," Mattie said looking at the other girl, "your dad is _Major_ General Creswell? As in the Navy JAG?"

"Yeah?" Cammie looked confusedly at Mattie.

"Well, that's my dad Commander Harmon Rabb, he's your dad's Chief of Staff," Mattie explained with a grin. "Maybe you and I could hang out sometime?"

"Sounds good," Cammie agreed as the two girls separated to greet their fathers.


End file.
